Volkswagen and Scania

[Marcel67]

Would be nice if Scania could build a conventional truck with US spec with a 730 Hp V8. Since Volkswagen owns it, would be nice to get on the market here. The good things, there is a dealer network for engines thru the USA.

[kscarbel2]

The head of VW’s truck group, Andreas Renschler, absolutely wants to participate in the US market. He’s made that point abundantly clear.

I can tell you that re-entering the US market has always been on the table at Scania, long before Volkswagen took control.

Scania can and has built conventional cab trucks.......for decades (we call them T-Series).

There’s no question that Scania can engineer an 80,000lb (36,287kg) GVW North American market heavy truck (Although I’d rather see America adopt higher GVWs, at least 90,000lb (40,823kg), and efficient B-trains on applicable roadways).

When Renschler came into the picture, MAN was already active in North America, marine engines aside, allowing Navistar to produce MAN D20 and D26 engines under a 2004 license agreement.

VW holds MAN close, because it’s German, and because it doesn’t enjoy high profitability for the same reasons that the namesake Volkswagen car brand barely makes a profit – the German Works Council (union) and Germany's social welfare policies including its co-determination act of 1976 (Mitbestimmungsgesetz) which requires that half the seats on a company's board be held by Works Council (union) members (companies with over 2,000 employees).

VW, however, gives Scania a great deal of autonomy because the company is the most profitable and innovative truckmaker in the world

Scania North America (http://www.scania.com/us/en/home) has been extremely successful, and the 2015 truck engine supply agreement* with Oshkosh makes it more so.

* http://www.ttnews.com/articles/basetemplate.aspx?storyid=37987